Thallium Poisoning?
by Aldalore of Barroth
Summary: Joly thinks he is poisoned, and suspects his friends of poisoning him. R\R


Noe: Just for all those "Non-Joly" people, which they shouldn't be reading this story, he is a hypochondriac, and if you don't know what that means, too bad for you, 'cause you won't get the story. Try reading Les Mis before reading stories about the characters in the book, smart one. Geez, I wouldn't have to write this if you knew about Joly. Now for the story. Oh, and I don't own any of the charactors, and probably never will, and Victor Hugo does, just so you know. I am only making them do my evil biddings.  
  
  


****

  
  
The sun was just above his head as Joly walked down the street to the cafe. He squinted, looking for the entrance down the road. There seemed to be a crowd gathered around it. Probably another of Grantaire's doings. As he neared the entrance he saw that his assumption was correct. Grantaire's was in one of his drunken stupors. Grantaire saw him and waved. Joly ducked behind the crowd, trying to avoid him. Several people stared at him and pointed.  
  
Enjoras walked up from behind him, looked at his face, and asked him, "What is that on your face? It's all black and nasty. Is it some kind of disease?"  
  
Joly felt his face. His cheeks were a little bumpy. He thought of all the diseases that could have those symptoms. It could be leprosy, maybe the plague, maybe even thallium poisoning. If it was thallium poisoning then soon his hair would start to fall off! He felt his head and a few hairs fell to the ground.  
  
"Oh my god! I've been poisoned!" he yelled as he ran down the street. People stared at him blankly as they watched him retreat.

****

  
  
Joly walked over to the door. He had been in bed for four days now, and the darkness under his eyes had gone away. His hair hadn't fallen out and he didn't die. He probably was one of the survivors of the poisoning.  
  
He headed back to the cafe pondering where he had got the poisoning. Maybe it was that wine he had that same very day. Who would have poisoned his drink with thallium? Who had access to it? These questions made Joly's head spin. As he arrived at the cafe, he was even more confused. He had gone through the list of students at the cafe, who had access to the thallium, and none of them could have done it.  
  
Enjoras motioned him to come sit at his table. Grantaire asked from across the room, "What did you have this time? Leprosy? Cholera?"  
  
"I was poisoned with thallium. It makes your skin all black and bumpy, then your hair falls out, and then you die." Answered Joly.  
  
Then Enjoras asked, "You still have all your hair. Where you of the lucky survivors?"  
  
"I think that I didn't take in enough thallium to make it progress to the next stage, though I did lose a few strands of hair. Luckily I only turned black under the eyes, so it must have been a small piece ingested." Reasoned Joly. Enjoras muttered something and Grantaire, now standing next to him, burst out laughing.  
  
What he had said was, " Maybe not enough sleep, Monsieur Thallium Poisoning." And what Joly caught was, "Maybe..... sleep.......Thallium......"  
  
That's when Joly started to suspect Enjoras. He tried to make the sentence make sense. He thought of a sentence that would fit. "Maybe he will sleep for ever when we give him more thallium stuff." The thought scared Joly out of his wits. Why was Grantaire laughing at such a thing? Maybe they were in it together. Meanwhile, back in the cafe, Joly had turned a ghostly white.  
  
"What's wrong Joly? Have you seen a ghost?" Asked Grantaire. Joly replied, "N-no-n-n-no sir." Enjoras then asked, "Do you need some thallium, whatever it is?"  
  
With that remark Joly got up and bolted out the door. As he was running he thought about what was happening. Why were his friends turning on him? They all had been very nice to him. He hadn't done anything to them.

****

  
  
Of course, nothing of what Joly suspected was true, and his reasoning just made him worry more. He hid in his bed for a couple of days, until he got enough nerves to go out on the streets. He remembered that Enjoras was the one who had asked him about his face in the first place. Grantaire was there too, waving at him, while in a drunken stupor.  
  
So he went to the cafe.  
  
He burst in through the door and, as usual, only a few people noticed. Grantaire asked, "What did you have now? Ghost face syndrome?" Someone put his hand on Joly's shoulder. It was Enjoras. Joly backed away from him and bumped into Grantaire. "What was that for? Have you had too much wine?" asked Grantaire. Joly ran and hid in a corner of the cafe. Enjoras took Grantaire aside and talked to him in a low whisper.  
  
After much talking, they brought over a wine bottle and offered it to Joly. Enjoras said, "May the wine of friendship never run dry." Joly thought about the wine. It could be poisoned with anything. He decided that he would take a chance. Eyeing them suspiciously as he took a sip, he tried to see any signs of mischief.  
  
There were none. He decided that he would try another test. "Have some too." Joly told Enjoras and Grantaire. They complied. Now all suspicion was gone. He asked, "What was the joke you said after I got over being poisoned?" Grantaire answered, "It doesn't matter anymore. Lets just play dominos!"

****

  
  
"4"  
  
"6"  
  
"5"  
  
"3"  
  
"No! Can't play!"  
  
"4"  
  
"2"  
  
"6"  
  
"Pass."  
  
"Yes. Pass me the wine too."  
  
This continued through the night, and after getting hopelessly drunk, they left to their homes to get some rest, but before leaving a song ensued;

  
"_The wolves suspect  
  
The martyr's glare  
  
And the flare of guns  
  
Shall bring dark and death  
  
The night is coming fast  
  
The bears confide  
  
The martyr's pride  
  
And the falcon's blight  
  
Shall bring sleep and make  
  
The dawn is coming fast  
  
The oyster's tear  
  
The martyr's near  
  
The end of days  
  
The metal rings  
  
With evil and good  
  
Until he falls upon  
  
The pile of people  
  
Growing fast  
  
The dream for him is over."_

_  
  
For them the dream was starting. As the remainder of the people in the cafe left, Joly left with them, staggering from side to side, rubbing his forehead with his cane._


End file.
